You Wouldn’t Dare went with me to 5 different states in the last three weeks and I can’t thank Samantha Markum enough for keeping me company on my travels! I’ve been savoring this ARC and was so said when I finally reached the end. I just love the way Samantha writes—I have been SO engaged, so in love with the characters and the setting, so wishing I’d thought to use favor-trading as currency as a kid. This second-chance YA romance/contemporary is funny, swoony, sexy, and the chemistry is off the charts. If you loved the banter in Sam’s debut, I’m happy to report that it’s back in full effect here.

This book has everything I love about a YA summer romance. Self discovery, great friends, a swoony Love interest set in a cute little beach town. I recommend this Sarah Dessen fans.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

Loved this book. Instantly fell in love with the characters and was extremely invested in where the story took them. Poignant at times but over all I really enjoyed jt

A fun, but overall unremarkable YA.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC ein exchange for an honest review.

I wrote this book and I think it's great! (Sorry this is so late but I really need to fix my NetGalley ratio lol.)

a cute, coming of age YA romance that’s absolute perfect if you’re looking for a summer read! I’ve read and loved Samantha Markum’s work before in her previous novel, This May End Badly and this was no different. I loved the way she wrote about love and friendship and I loved Juniper and Graham! Definitely recommend checking this one out.

This is a great YA read with a summery feel that's full of love and friendship and a bit of angst. It's made for those who love authors like Sarah Dessen and Kasie West.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

This is everything a coming of age YA should be. It has angst, confusion,
disappointment, excitement, love and found family. This one was done right.
Thank you #wednesday and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

You Wouldn't Dare" by Samantha Markham is a beachy rom-com exploring the intricacies of friendship and love. The narrative, centered around Juniper and Graham, offers a mix of beach vibes and family dynamics. Despite some characters being less likable, their flaws contribute to the story's dynamic. While the book is a decent beach read, it could have tapped into more potential. Overall, it's a tale of taking chances and navigating the risks and triumphs of pursuing what you truly desire.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

I enjoyed reading "You Wouldn't Dare" by Samantha Markum. The characters are well-developed and the writing style is engaging. It provided a full dose of cuteness and was a fun, lighthearted read. I liked Junie and how she grew emotionally throughout the story. I really liked the themes of finding one's people and the importance of friendship and found family. My favorite parts were “the Juniper Nash cry fest” and the tradition of bartering favors with each other. This group of friends was relatable and I loved their history and cute traditions.

This had very Sarah Dessen vibes to me. It was a lot of charm, laughter, friendship, cute moments, and romance. It's a perfect summer read!

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Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this title. This review contains my honest thoughts.

This book had good bones, but ultimately fell a bit flat at times. Junie was just incredibly immature throughout so many parts of the book, especially compared to her friends. I also felt it was a bit long in many of the early sections, with a rushed ending.

But mostly, the secret that caused her and Graham to split felt like she was being blamed for something that wasn't at all her fault.

was hesitant to read You Wouldn't Dare because the relationships seemed messy. I love happy endings, and I wasn't sure how the book would start or how it would end. I ended up liking it more than I thought I would.

While there were multiple subplots, they all feed into the main arc of coming to terms with change. I empathized with Junie and wanted to lament alongside her about why things have to change especially when you don't want them to. (I don't do well with change.)

The focus on the bonds of friendships and family and the exploration of these relationship dynamics contributed to why I liked the book more than expected.

I appreciated that the reason behind the fallout was revealed sooner rather than later. It allowed me to focus on Junie's journey rather than continue wondering about what happened. I also loved the romance.

Overall this was a good summer read and would be especially great for the the YA contemporary romance lover.

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

This book read like a love letter to summer, the beach and friendship! I truly enjoyed the characters and the plot felt like nothing I’ve seen before. There was just enough drama and intrigue to keep me glued to the book. I loved the sweet snippets of romance and the ending had me smiling!

This was a sweet read that reminded me of the cute Sarah Dressen books I read growing up.

There was just a sweet innocence to the story and it brought me back so many feels!

you wouldn't dare take you on a summer vacation to an island in Florida where we follow a young girl who loves theater and who has a big change coming up in her life. Within this story we watch our main character falls back in love and learn a bit of self worth. now I will say trigger warning for flaky fathers our mc father is mention with in this book but our mc only talks to him a few times though out the book. Now I will say our mc father remind me so much of my own and how the mc was scared that anything she said or did would cause him to abandon her for good. seeing myself in the main character broke my heart knowing people like her father never change and doesn't care about anyone but them self. over all I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is high praise from a millennial woman, but... Samantha Markum could easily be the next Sarah Dessen.

And yet, that compliment was meant to cushion some of the blow because... I didn't love this. Having read Markum's debut (This May End Badly), I'm noticing a lot of the same issues here that I had with that. For starters? It's too long. More is not always better. This book could greatly benefit from being edited down... and adding smoother transitions to help with some of the pacing. Like her previous book, Markum also throws a lot of characters our way early-on, many of whom were not vital to the overall plot.

I say that Markum could become the next Sarah Dessen because of the small town vibes. The motley crew of characters. The way she could very easily bleed some of the characters and details from this book into another. She has a great knack for banter, but it was often overshadowed by the scattered storyline.

We're introduced to our protagonist, Junie, and given a pretty extensive look at her situation, ranging from her friend group (that eventually sort of just fizzled away as the plot progressed), to her family dynamic (which includes moving in with her mother's boyfriend and his daughter, who she doesn't get along with... not to mention her flake of a dad that never seems to follow through on anything), to the restaurant she works in (that her mother owns and has a full cast in itself), to the theater club she's joined (with, you guessed it, even more characters). Many of the subplots here felt underdeveloped. While I appreciate feeling immersed in a character's world, it felt like the author bit off more than she could chew... and that some of these storylines never seemed to go anywhere.

I've failed to mention that Junie's attempting to become president of her school's drama club, has a failed romance with one of her best friends that involves yet another convoluted subplot, and is frequently accused of having feelings for her other best friend. It's all just... really messy.

With more focus and development -- and cutting out some of the less necessary storylines -- this could have been great. It's lacking the depth and cohesion I found in many of Dessen's novels, but... there's definite potential.

A Massive Thank You to the Author, the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book prior to its release date.